Matt's Take
The story mode of Toukiden 2 pulled me in and kept me moving through the world, wondering what my next threat would be and which new friends I would find to help fight the foes. It’s a great world that I quickly became engaged in as I fought my way through the exciting single player and fantastic co-op.
The story, in single player, is very involved; pulling the player through events that span time and space. However, it never feels overly complicated, as each layer of story development is carefully added on with well-timed pacing, letting the player feel as though they understand what is happening in the world around them. As you kill the monsters throughout the campaign you are steadily given new monster-killing NPCs, known as Slayers, to fight alongside. Paired with generous amounts of loot, the game feels welcoming, letting the player experiment with everything from weapon types and their elements, to crafting exciting and powerful armor.
It is with great joy that the best parts of the game translate so well to co-op. In co-op, instead of progressing the story, you go to another player’s game or let them join yours, completing missions together and working through the game’s dungeon mode. However, the enticing piles of loot still flow, which can be used for building and upgrading weapons as well as armor in both single player and co-op. The co-op also has an independent system of progression, meaning that the more time you and your party devote to slaying Oni, the more exciting and dangerous bosses you will continue to face.
When it comes to the act of combat, co-op shines bright as well. When you are given NPC Slayers to work with, they do an exceptional job keeping up and fighting hard. However, with friends and other players, you can coordinate attacks, working harder and smarter towards removing the ever-challenging body parts of your Oni foes. The chemistry created by a thoughtful party of Slayers was something I was excited about each time I was able to play co-op, it allowed me to experiment with different weapons, armor and Mitama while still able to enjoy combat due to battle savvy teammates.
Finally, Mitama are delightful to use in co-op. The joy I had of earning and upgrading my Mitama in single player was amplified when it came together with other players and their abilities. No longer was I stuck choosing how I wanted a single Mitama to combat the Oni; I have friends to fight with. The synergy of good Mitama selection, weapon choice and team communication makes the people you play with in Toukiden 2 feel valuable. Your Mitama level up as well, meaning that co-op feels feels like a natural component to the game. After engaging in a number of missions in co-op, I felt like my equipment was better as well as my understanding of how to assemble a powerful team of Slayers.
Single player offers an exciting story, and while the tutorial feels a bit long, and all of the gameplay mechanics take a while to be introduced, the game always offers enough to the player to feel complete. When switching to co-op, everything I loved about single player was in full effect and more so; with human players now replacing my NPC companions, I was able to level up and try out new weapons, while still earning a satisfying amount of loot, so while the story in single player is exciting and fresh, the stories from Toukiden 2 I will be telling are found in the co-op.
The Co-Optimus Co-Op Review of Toukiden 2 is based on the PlayStation 4 version of the game. Review codes were provided by the publisher for review purposes.
Verdict
Co-Op Score
Overall
The Co-Op Experience: You can participate in battles with up to four players from around the world. Touch a Portal Stone that can be found in various locations such as near the entrance to a village and you will be taken to the lobby where you can access the multiplayer function of the game. Missions support up to four players online. Cross-platform play between the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita systems is supported
Co-Optimus game reviews focus on the cooperative experience of a game, our final score graphic represents this experience along with an average score for the game overall. For an explanation of our scores please check our Review Score Explanation Guide.